1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing a lithium electrode for a lithium-ion battery, and also relates to a lithium electrode for a lithium-ion battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lithium-ion batteries, in particular lithium-sulfur batteries, are known as energy storage devices, and in particular have the advantage of very high energy density. Lithium-sulfur batteries, for example, essentially include a cathode, an anode, a separator situated between anode and cathode, and an ion-conducting electrolyte. Up to now, lithium-sulfur batteries have however not been widely commercially produced. A challenge in the production of lithium-sulfur batteries is the achievement of adequate cycle stability. In the lithium-sulfur batteries described in the literature, the available capacity can decrease with each charge cycle or discharge cycle. In addition to this, there is a utilization of the sulfur, which still has room for improvement due to the fact that under some circumstances the quantity of sulfur contained in the cathode is incompletely discharged.
US Patent Application Publication 2002/0192557 A1 describes a lithium-sulfur battery. This battery includes a positively charged electrode having a sulfur-based compound as active material, the positively charged electrode having an ion-conducting path and an electron-conducting path. In addition, the positively charged electrode has pores having both ion-conducting and electron-conducting properties, in which there is situated active sulfur. In addition, a lithium-ion battery as described in this document has a negatively charged electrode having an active material including lithium, a lithium-containing alloy, or a compound that can reversibly intercalate lithium, or a compound that can form a chemical compound with lithium.
US Patent Application Publication 2002/0039680 A1 describes a lithium-sulfur battery. In such a battery, a positively charged electrode includes active material, a conduction-improving agent, an organic solvent in which sulfur has a solubility of less than or equal to 50 mM, and a binder that is suitable for dissolving in the organic solvent. In addition, such a lithium-ion battery has a negatively charged electrode having an active material containing lithium, a lithium-containing alloy, or a compound that can reversibly intercalate lithium or a compound that can form a chemical compound with lithium.